Clinton, Maynard teams to wear Lunenburg youth's number in stand against racism

Tuesday

Nov 26, 2013 at 7:18 PM

By Paula J. Owen, TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

CLINTON — Though 13-year-old Isaac A. Phillips has transferred out of Lunenburg schools after weeks of alleged bullying — allegedly by his teammates on the Blue Knights football team — high school football players from nearby Clinton and their Thanksgiving Day game opponents from Maynard will be wearing his old football number to show their support.

Sean M. Whitney, whose 15-year-old son, Brandon J. Whitney, plays varsity football for the Clinton Gaels, said he couldn't believe what he was hearing was going on in Lunenburg to the Phillips family.

Eighth-grader Isaac, son of a black father and a white mother, was the target of alleged bullying by Lunenburg football players while he attended school there. It culminated with racist graffiti spray-painted on his home more than a week ago. When the rest of the season's games were forfeited because of it, there was an outcry from some in the community, who also began blaming the Phillips family.

Then, on Friday, the Lunenburg athletic director apologized to football players and coaches at South High Community School in Worcester for racial slurs directed at them by Lunenburg football players at two games earlier this month.

"This really happened and really goes on," Mr. Whitney said Tuesday. "This is right next door. We were shocked. It is both ignorant and arrogant."

He said Hispanic and black Clinton teammates of his son, who is white, visit him at home, and he and his wife discuss "doing the right thing" with them.

His daughter, 14-year-old Lexus A. Whitney, is also a high school cheerleader.

"We talk about that with them," he said. "They're like a family, these kids. It is hard to accept that five miles next door this actually goes on. These kids are so close. It is kind of hard for us to understand it. We were trying to think of how we could show the Phillips family this is not acceptable and we support them."

Mr. Whitney said he contacted the athletic directors in Clinton and Maynard on Friday about having the football players wear Isaac's football number at the game Thursday to show their support.

"They thought it was a super idea and said let's do it," he said.

Mr. Whitney ordered 100 stickers at his own cost that came in Tuesday. He said there will be a short presentation before the game Thursday morning in Maynard to let people know why football players are wearing them.

"Both teams will be supporting Isaac by wearing 2-inch blue-and-white stickers with the number 30 on their helmets," he said. "Both communities want to show that he and his family do not stand alone and that we will always stand up to this type of behavior. We want their community to know other communities are thinking about the Phillipses and supporting them."

Cheerleaders will wear blue ribbons to support Isaac, he said.

Earlier Tuesday, Isaac's father said his son is happy now that he is attending middle school in Leominster.

"We've had 10 days-plus of chaos, and with Thanksgiving coming up we just want to move on," said Anthony J. Phillips.

"Isaac is happy in school and we are trying to get things back to normal. Isaac wants to move on from this and we want to let Isaac be happy."

Mr. Phillips said Isaac has attended school in Leominster for three days and intends to play football for Leominster next season.

Though only in eighth grade, Isaac — whose family has lived in Lunenburg for 15 years — played on the freshman and junior varsity football teams in Lunenburg.

Lunenburg Superintendent Loxi Jo Calmes announced last week that the rest of the football games for the season, notably the Thanksgiving eve game against St. Bernard's High School in Fitchburg, were forfeited. Ms. Calmes' decision to cancel the game was followed by an outcry by Lunenburg football players and their families to reinstate the game, but the School Committee upheld her decision.

Mr. Phillips said at the time some in the community were turning on his family and blaming them for Ms. Calmes' decision to cancel the games.

Investigations into the alleged bullying and the racist hate crime are ongoing, school officials said.

Contact Paula Owen at powen@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @PaulaOwenTG